Gavin Henson's return to the Welsh ranks remains on course – if only because he survived another 53 minutes without injury – but the centre's first start on a rugby field in almost two years was overshadowed today by a revitalised Sale side winning only their fourth game of the season.

After taking an eight-try beating at Leicester last week, Sale put their stand-in head coach, Pete Anglesea, in pole position to keep the job, scoring three tries by half‑time. "We looked like boys against Leicester," said Anglesea. "Today we looked like men."

With 33 days to go before Wales meet England at the Millennium Stadium, Henson is an outside bet to make the starting XV. However, given that Wales would pick him on a Zimmer frame, the 28-year-old's name can be expected in the squad for the Six Nations, due to be announced in three weeks.

After 29 minutes from the replacements' bench at Wembley against Wasps on Boxing Day – when he impressed a third of the Welsh coaching triumvirate, Shaun Edwards – there was a late flurry in ticket sales when Henson was named in Saracens' starting XV and Sale finished with their best gate of the season, no doubt in part because they also had a few internationals returning, Charlie Hodgson and Andrew Sheridan among them.

Henson, his Test career stalled on 31 caps, last started a game in March 2009, playing for the Ospreys. At Wembley he came close to scoring with his first touch. Today his first involvement came as the new Sale captain, Mark Cueto, beat him to the ball for the first try after seven minutes.

Until then Cueto had taken a bit of stick, first from the prop Deon Carstens, who arrived at the same time as Cueto was fielding Owen Farrell's kick‑off, and then when the England wing came off the better in a clash with another South African, Schalk Brits. The Saracens hooker was still clearing his head when Paul Williams chipped ahead and Cueto had enough wits about him to get to the ball in time to scoop it from under Henson's fingertips.

For a team that had suffered five successive defeats and rebelled at the man‑management style of their former head coach, Mike Brewer, it was a fine start but it got a whole lot better six minutes later when James Gaskell went over for a second.

Henson appeared to have wrenched the ball free of Sisa Koyamaibole before the flanker and former Sale captain pounced. However, after a lengthy look the video referee was satisfied and after three Hodgson penalties Sale were in the unlikely position of being 18 points up with 10 minutes to go before half‑time and about to go further ahead with a try which Anglesea will hope typifies his era.

Deep in his own half Carl Fearns refused to go down, brushing off three would-be Saracens tacklers before slipping theball inside to the inspirational Gaskell. The hooker Marc Jones kept the move going and Chris Bell rounded off the action, 60 yards from where Fearns had started it.

Hodgson, one of those said to be on his way out of Edgeley Park when Brewer was in control, made the touch-line conversion look easy and, even though Farrell got a couple of late penalties, Sale were 28-9 at the interval and the game looked over.

Unfortunately for Sale winning is a long way from being a habit and Saracens, who started the day in third place, were revived by a string of Farrell penalties and a try from James Short – most of the points when Henson and a chunk of the pack had been replaced 13 minutes into the second half. Close observers reckon the veteran of Strictly had touched the ball three times and, as his current head coach, Mark McCall, said: "Gavin didn't see a lot of ball but he had lot of defending to do."

However, there was no suggestion that McCall was pointing a finger in Henson's direction. "Today we came up against a very motivated side and we came off second best. We were blown away. Today we just got it wrong," said McCall, who takes over as director of rugby from Brendan Venter after next weekend's game against London Irish.

Anglesea, who is in charge until at least the end of the season while Sale's owner, Brian Kennedy, has yet another look at what is available in the global market place, said today had put him in pole position to keep the job, having successfully appealed for a bit of "northern grit" from his players.

"They have responded to me," said Anglesea, "but they are the ones who have to go out and perform. You have to put yourself in that mental state to perform and that was a massive part of our game."

He even sounded reasonably confident of hanging on to Hodgson. "At the end of the day Charlie is my friend but Charlie will make for him what is the best decision," said Anglesea. "We want him to stay and I have spoken to him."